Document rxx1LOq7e9wmRnpnoXX0z9az0

FILE NAME: General Electric (GE) DATE: 1922-1940 DOC#: GE051 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Gerard Swope Info u e r tc io j fn .u a . . u u i u M ^ a i7 > l a c c u u t c u w a r iw iw j ffyoivf // > Print Document > Close Window wu/wwtnpMiMwwiw^/ pi ywiwf pi r --' Gerard Swope President, 1922-1940, 1942-1945 l of 2 Gerard Swope, who started out with the General Electric Company in 1893 as a helper at $1 a day, became president of GE in 1922, and served in that post for nearly 20 years. His career and his personality were once summarized by an associate: "Probably no man in his generation has been more ardently devoted to his country and its interests and more willing to devote his great energies and abilities unsparingly to this work than Gerard Swope. These qualities have manifested themselves in everything with which he has come into contact. And in all his activities, whether as business executive or economic leader, his thinking is of a fundamental and analytic quality undoubtedly influenced by his engineering training." He was born in St. Louis, Mo., on December 1, 1872. As the result of a desire to see the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, he went to that city while still an undergraduate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and became a helper at the GE Chicago Service Shop. Swope was graduated from M. I.T. in 1895, with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and returned to Chicago, this time in the shops of the Western Electric Company. Four years later, he went to St. Louis as manager of the Western Electric office, and in 1906 was transferred to Chicago. He went to New York as general sales manager two years later. In 1913, Swope was named a vice president and director. Four years later, he visited the Orient, organizing a Chinese Western Electric Company and promoting trade interests and telephone service in the East. During the first World War, Swope served on the War Department General Staff in connection with the Army's procurement and supply program. For his outstanding achievements, fie was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by the President of the United Stales and was named a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the French 1/19/04 8:33 u c i i c i g i C iu v u iw g u i w iM p u n ; w N W U hivt. m j v j m i i i v w j ^l//Vf IIIIIIi^ iVVIM/VI*/VWI(ipi>tlWI/IW^/pIIIW UW IW f|rfIIiimwiv > /IW^VII government. He was brought to General Electric in 1919, by Charles A. Coffin, then president. When the foreign department of GE was enlarged that year into a new organization, the International General Electric Company, Swope became its first president. He was elected president of General Electric in May, 1922. Usage Disclaim er A llphotographs, im ages a nd biographical inform ation o f persons appearing on this site (S ite M aterials) are the exclusive p roperty o f General Electric Com pany (G E ). The copyright in a ll Site M aterials resides and shall rem ain in GE. AH righ ts are reserved. Perm ission is granted to media entities to which G E has given access to this site to use Site M aterials fo r prom otional, editorial and new s purposes in newspapers, periodicals and electronic new s program s only. No other use o f Site M aterials is perm itted and no other persons o r entities are authorized to use Site Materials. W ithout lim iting an y o f the foregoing, no use o f a n y S ite M aterials m ay be made on o r in connection w ith the sale o r offer fo r sale o fproducts o r services o f a n y kind. Perm ission granted under this paragraph m ay n o t be transferred, sublicensed o r assigned, and a n y purported o r attem pted transfer, sublicense o r assignm ent shall b e n u ll and void. B y using Site M aterials, authorized m edia entity users agree to fu lly com ply with the restrictions, conditions and requirem ents s e t forth herein. The perm issions and authorizations granted herein are revocable b y G E w ithout cause a t a n y time upon th e giving o f notice o f revocation. G E m akes no w arranty o r representation regarding the accuracy and com pleteness o f any S ite M aterials a n d such Site M aterials are p rovided "as is" an d w ithout any w arranties o f a n y kind either express o r im plied o r statutory. G E sha ll n o t be liable for, and authorized media en tity users o f Site M aterials b y using sam e expressly agree to indem nify G E against, an y and a ll claims, expenses, dam ages and liabilities arising o ut o f use o f Site M aterials b y such user, including an y and a ll direct, indirect, incidental, special o r consequential damages. 2 Of 2 1/19/04 8:33